


Every Star in the Sky

by gonergone



Category: Captive Prince - C. S. Pacat
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-17
Updated: 2016-08-17
Packaged: 2018-08-09 11:18:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7799731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gonergone/pseuds/gonergone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Thoughts of exactly where else that blush would show on Erasmus's pale skin – and the anticipation of finding out – were enough to carry Torveld through the worst of it, though by the end of the evening's entertainments Torveld still took a deep, grateful breath, leading Erasmus down the hall to his bed chamber.</i>
</p><p> </p><p>  <i>Once there, for the first time Torveld himself was shy.  He had always taken slaves as a matter of course, but he had never come across a slave like Erasmus.  He found himself feeling an odd mixture of desire and protectiveness, uncertainty in what Erasmus expected and wanted. </i></p><p> </p><p>  <i>All he expected and wanted was Erasmus, and that was… new.</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	Every Star in the Sky

**Author's Note:**

  * For [aliencupcake](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aliencupcake/gifts).



The negotiations with the Regent and Council went on and on, long enough that Torveld's mind wandered. Vere, for all of its cultural differences to Akielos and Patras, had the same long-winded politics, meeting after meeting full of people talking to hear the sound of their own voices.

His hand stroked Erasmus's light hair absently, sliding through the soft locks in a vain attempt to wish himself somewhere else, or at least coax another shy smile out of Erasmus; _something_ for Torveld to think about as the tedium continued.

For his part, Erasmus spent the afternoon sitting at his feet with perfect posture, though every once in a while he leaned his slight weight against Torveld's leg, the touch there and gone like the kiss of a ghost. Torveld would almost have thought it was an accident if he hadn't noticed the pink staining the pale cheeks. 

Thoughts of exactly where else that blush would show on Erasmus's pale skin – and the anticipation of finding out – were enough to carry Torveld through the worst of it, though by the end of the evening's entertainments Torveld still took a deep, grateful breath, leading Erasmus down the hall to his bed chamber.

Once there, for the first time Torveld himself was shy. He had always taken slaves as a matter of course, but he had never come across a slave like Erasmus. He found himself feeling an odd mixture of desire and protectiveness, uncertainty in what Erasmus expected and wanted. 

All he expected and wanted was Erasmus, and that was… new.

They faced each other in the bed chamber, Erasmus's gaze fastened on the floor, his nervousness communicated by the slight trembling of his bottom lip. After a moment he seemed to pull himself together.

"Shall I attend you?" he asked quietly, his eyes flicking up to watch Torveld from under his lashes.

"Do bed slaves normally attend their masters in Akielos?" He watched in fascination as Erasmus's chest moved with each quick breath. 

"We are trained to do many things," Erasmus answered uncertainly. His fear of getting something wrong was palpable, and Torveld was reminded forcefully that Erasmus had never had a chance to serve properly before. This was, for all intents and purposes, his First Night. Taking a deep breath, Torveld knew he would need make it a good one.

"Help me undress," he said softly. Patran clothing was neither as simple as that of Akielos nor as complicated as that of Vere, which was probably a blessing. Erasmus held himself perfectly as he reached toward Torveld's shoes, but his hands shook slightly, betraying him.

It made Torveld's heart catch slightly. He captured the quaking palms in his own, squeezing them lightly until he felt Erasmus relax slightly. Torveld smiled at him, bringing his knuckles to his lips and kissing them gently before letting his hand go.

Erasmus knelt in front of him, carefully undoing the short laces on the front of his trousers, a small crease of concentration appearing on his forehead. 

"Would you like – may I - ?" Doubt overrode his training, making him hesitant.

 _Yes_ , Torveld wanted to say, to shout. The image of those lips wrapping around the head of his cock had been one of the things that had kept him going as the trade negotiations had droned on around them. But the way Erasmus looked like he was waiting to be yelled at, or worse… 

"Not yet." He pulled him gently to his feet and kissed him, exploring his mouth thoroughly, something he'd been wanting to do all day.

That kiss ran into the next, and the next, Torveld's hands moving over Erasmus's back and sides possessively.

When Torveld finally pulled back enough to look at him, Erasmus's eyes were still closed. Torveld pressed another kiss to his forehead.

When Erasmus opened his eyes, there was a smile – a real smile – playing on his lips, and Torveld found himself answering it with one of his own before he was even aware he meant to. That was new, too.

"You're doing very well," he said quietly, watching Erasmus's body relax another fraction, some of the tension sliding out of his shoulders. He had never cared about whether a slave was enjoying himself before, and it felt odd but right, when he looked at Erasmus. 

"It's your turn to undress," he told him, drawing his thumb over the soft skin of Erasmus's cheek. "Slowly."

As he expected, Erasmus responded immediately to being told exactly what to do. His fingers slowed on the fastenings on his clothing, then slid across the exposed skin of his collarbone, responding to Torveld's approving smile.

"That's very good, Erasmus. _Very_ good."

Erasmus moved a hand down his chest, pushing the cloth off and standing gloriously nude. Torveld felt like he could look forever and not look enough at the beautiful pale flesh, wanting and needing.

Torveld reached out and ran the tips of his fingers over the taut stomach and up over the hard nubs of Erasmus's nipples, pausing to squeeze lightly, watching hungrily at every tiny reaction of Erasmus's body. He tried to gauge the genuine reaction beneath the polite mask of training. He leaned forward to take them into his mouth, feeling the jump of Erasmus's chest against his mouth. 

"When I do something you enjoy, I want you to tell me. You have to be honest, though. Can you do that for me?"

Erasmus nodded, his gaze lowered. "Yes."

"Excellent."

Torveld stroked down his sides, skipping past the jutting erection, wanting to draw out Erasmus's pleasure. 

It was only when Torveld's fingers moved over the burn scars on his leg that Erasmus pulled back involuntarily, his expression shuttering.

"You have nothing to be ashamed of, Erasmus." 

"I am sorry to show you something so unattractive." His lip trembled.

Torveld dropped to his knees, touching the darkened skin lightly. He gently kissed each scar, taking the time to explore every inch of skin from Erasmus's thigh to his ankle. By the time he was done, Erasmus was trembling with something other than shame or fear.

"There is nothing unattractive about you. Nothing at all."

Torveld sat back on his heels and looked up at Erasmus's face, past the quickly rising and falling chest. Erasmus's lips were parted slightly, his eyes wide. He was clearly out of his depth, but still struggling to please Torveld by not showing how anxious he was. 

The urge to ask Erasmus what he wanted hit Torveld suddenly, unexpectedly, but he dismissed it immediately. It wasn't a question Erasmus would understand, or even begin to answer. Not yet. It would ruin the new ease between them, at the very least, and the last thing he wanted was to make Erasmus uncomfortable again.

"You're beautiful, you know," he said quietly.

Erasmus ducked his head. "I'm supposed to tell you that." 

"You can, if you like, but I don't think it will be quite as true."

He kept his eyes glued to Erasmus's expression as he slowly, finally stroked the full cock, cataloging every slight hitch and gasp, the way Erasmus's eyes closed when Torveld took him into his mouth, the involuntary, high pitched cries as his spilled across Erasmus's tongue. 

After he came, Torveld wrapped his arms around him to hold him up, picking him up and carrying him to the bed.

"I should – "

"You should sleep." He kissed him gently. 

"But– " Erasmus looked him in the eye, alarm bleeding through his post-orgasmic torpor. "You haven't –"

"Just sleep. It's what I want tonight," Torveld told him honestly. 

Erasmus didn't look convinced, but protocol wouldn't let him argue. 

"Sleep, Erasmus." He sharpened it into an order, knowing that would ease the way better than anything else he could do.

Erasmus obeyed immediately, as Torveld had known he would, his eyes slipping closed and his body relaxing into the soft mattress. 

He spent more time than he should've watching Erasmus sleep, stroking his hair gently as the night stretched into morning.

*****

Torveld relished being home. As elegant and luxurious as the royal palace of Vere was, it would never be as comfortable as his own bed. Part of him was also eager – perhaps overeager – to show Erasmus what kind of life he'd enjoy. It was ridiculous to want to impress a slave, Torveld knew that, and yet.

And yet.

He had sent all of his former slaves away, knowing already that he wouldn't need any other bedslaves, and he watched as Erasmus was led into the room for the first time, rosy from the bath and his other preparations. 

Torveld licked his lips, considering those preparations for the first time.

Erasmus stood obediently at the end of the bed, waiting for Torveld's pleasure, his head ducked in obeisance, but Torveld could feel his gaze from under the impossibly thick lashes. 

He took his time crossing the room, until he stood just beside Erasmus, close enough to feel the warmth of his skin but not quite touching. He was encouraged when Erasmus leaned toward him, not enough to close the distance between them, but enough for Torveld to feel the whisper of the garment Erasmus wore against his skin.

He raised a hand and touched the ends of Erasmus's curls gently, a stray thought striking him. "I am sorry that there's been so much traveling for you," he said softly. "I'm sure it has been exhausting."

He caught the barest glint of Erasmus's eyes before he ducked his head again. "I have no complaints."

"But if you did," Torveld pressed, "you would tell me."

He brushed his thumb along Erasmus's bottom lip, watching the pink tongue dart out and retreat before leaning in and kissing him lightly. 

"May I do something?" Erasmus implored. 

Torveld sat on the edge of the bed and held a hand out. "Sit with me."

Erasmus leaned into him, and Torveld couldn't stop himself from stroking his back even though he wanted to talk to Erasmus, and touching him was just going to make talking all the harder. He knew that, but he couldn't help touching him anyway. "There are some things I want to ask you, some things I want to know, to make everything easier for you."

"You don't need to make things easier for me –" he looked alarmed.

Torveld held up a hand. "For both of us."

Erasmus nodded, biting his lip. 

Torveld took a breath, searching for an easy question to start with. "What was your training like?"

Erasmus looked uncertain as what Torveld was looking for. "No one was allowed to touch us," he said quickly. "Not that way."

"I know that," Torveld assured him. 

Erasmus licked his lips nervously. "We watched couples taking and giving pleasure."

"Did you enjoy it? Your training?" He stroked down Erasmus's thigh encouragingly.

Erasmus nodded. "Not for its own purposes, but I was happy to know that I would be able to please my master."

"Did they praise you?" He kissed Erasmus hard, hands sliding down his chest. 

Erasmus hesitated. "They corrected us, if we did poorly."

"But did they _praise_ you?" 

Erasmus's eyes lowered. "No," he said quietly.

"You're not in trouble."

Erasmus nodded, but his cheeks were flushed. "We were given a drug. It makes… it makes the trainees want things. Want everything. To ease the way. When we were drugged and needy, there was no reason to praise us." 

Torveld resumed stroking his hair lightly. "You should get used to praise, because I intend to give it to you constantly."

"When I am good, you mean?"

"I cannot imagine that you'll ever be anything else." Torveld kissed him as he lay Erasmus down beside him.

*****

Torveld knew something was wrong when Erasmus wasn't waiting for him in the bedroom the next night. Polodus stood there instead, his olive skin gleaming in the firelight in a way that Torveld had never been able to resist in the past.

It was at that moment that Torveld really understood how much Erasmus had already changed things for him. 

He stopped in the doorway. "Where is Erasmus?" he asked, frowning.

Polodus met his gaze with the cunning smile that had always started a slow heat along Torveld's spine, a smile that had never failed to elicit a response before. "I came to entertain you tonight," he said, turning slightly to give Torveld the best view of his erect cock. 

Torveld had to work to keep from snapping at him. "That's not an answer to my question," he said, for the first time regretting all of the liberties that he'd given Polodus over the years.

Polodus swallowed, his smile faltering slightly. "He wasn't feeling well," he said, sulking slightly.

Torveld felt the first pang of worry. "He's ill?"

"He's fine, I'm sure. Probably just homesick." Polodus stepped forward to close the distance between them. "Patras may not be to his taste," he added lightly, his hand resting on Torveld's waist.

"Did he say he was ill?" Torveld couldn't imagine Erasmus complaining about anything.

Polodus's hand tightened. "Forget about him," he said softly. 

Torveld jerked away as if he'd been burned. "Where is he?" 

Polodus set his jaw mulishly, something that tended to force Torveld into a conciliatory position. This time it backfired, igniting Torveld's anger. 

"Where is he?" he asked again, grabbing Polodus's wrist hard. "I'm ordering you to tell me. Now." 

"I don't know," he practically spat, finally dropping his eyes.

He may have said something else, but Torveld was already gone, pushing the door open and hurrying down the hall.

*****

It took them more than an hour to find him bound and gagged and shoved into one of the cupboards off a back staircase. 

Torveld knelt beside him meeting Erasmus's eyes as he gently loosened the bonds. 

"I'm sorry," Erasmus said as soon as the gag was removed.

Torveld shook his head, fighting to keep his tumultuous emotions from his face. "This is not your fault." He smoothed down Erasmus's hair. "Can you tell me what happened?" he asked gently.

Erasmus looked like he was about to start crying. "No. I'm so – "

"You have nothing to be sorry about," Torveld told him firmly. He helped him to his feet, vowing that he'd discover the perpetrators one way or another, and they would pay. Wrapping am arm around him to steady him, he tucked Erasmus against his side. "I'm not letting you out of my sight again," he vowed, and felt Erasmus relax fractionally against him.

It wasn't until they got back to Torveld's bedchamber that he could examine the chafed wrists. The skin hadn't been broken, but they were obviously tender, and Torveld drew them to his mouth carefully to kiss them. 

"Did they only tie you up, or did they hurt you in any other way as well?" he asked.

Erasmus shook his head.

Torveld let out a long breath. He was still going to have them killed, but there might be less torture involved.

Erasmus seemed to shake himself. "How may I serve you?" 

"Just sit with me for a moment. I wish I had been able to take as good care of you when this happened," Torveld breathed, touching the scars on Erasmus's leg. "I wish I had been around to stop it from happening in the first place." 

"If it hadn't happened, I might not be here right now," Erasmus pointed out."

"Would you like a bath?" he asked, his fingers interlacing with Erasmus's for a moment, squeezing lightly. 

Erasmus started to stand. "I'll prepare it for you." 

"That's not what I meant." He kissed Erasmus's forehead. "I'm not asking you to prepare it, and I'm not demanding that you join me. I'm asking if it's something you want." 

Erasmus looked lost at that, so Torveld waited patiently for him to rally. Choices were not something that were offered in Akielos any more than they were normally offered in Patras, but there hadn't been many typical master-slave interactions between them, and Torveld didn't see any reason to change that. 

"I would like that," Erasmus finally said, a blush creeping across his cheeks. 

That was more than enough. Kissing him again, Torveld led him out of the room.

*****

He sank into the bath with Erasmus, taking the cloth from Erasmus's hand and running it over his skin, rubbing slow circles in an effort to relax him. He fought the urge to ask Erasmus more questions about what had happened. "Are you sure you're all right?" he asked instead.

"I'm fine," Erasmus said automatically. 

Torveld wondered if he would have given the same answer immediately after his leg had been burnt, and watching the way Erasmus seemed to fold in on himself in the bath he thought he knew the answer. 

"I meant what I said." He carded his fingers though the light hair gently, taking care not to startle him. "I'm not letting you out of my sight anytime soon."

He didn't miss Erasmus's deep intake of breath, or the way that the some of the tension ran out of his body. Torveld's hands moved under the water, sliding down Erasmus's stomach to his thighs. He leaned forward, not quite touching, and was rewarded when Erasmus closed the distance himself, capturing Torveld's mouth tentatively. 

"Very good," Torveld murmured, breaking the kiss before diving in again. His tongue explored Erasmus's mouth with relish, the hot water lapping against them and stoking his hunger. He wanted Erasmus, never seemed to stop wanting him, and if circumstances were different he would be pushing him against the side of the bath and mounting him already, but as things stood he wanted to go as slowly as Erasmus needed.

After a few minutes, he could feel Erasmus's erection brushing his wrist as he stroked his sides soothingly. Half a nudge and Erasmus was climbing into his lap, straddling Torveld with Torveld's hands dropping to cup his ass.

"Shall I –" Erasmus started, and Torveld shushed him by pressing his lips to the corner of his mouth. 

"Just kiss me," he told him quietly.

Erasmus did, moaning as Torveld squeezed his ass, rubbing long fingers along the crease and following it further down. He didn't mean to – the last thing he wanted to do was push Erasmus right then – but he needn't have worried. Erasmus arched his back, thighs spreading and hands coming to rest on Torveld's chest. 

Torveld pulled him closer until he could wrap his hand around both of their cocks at once. The water was like a thick blanket, padding every stroke and preventing too much friction. He wondered how long he could continue with the long slow strokes before one of them came; he suspected it could be awhile. The hottest part was the way Erasmus was moving against him, thrusting slightly into his hand and back against the other hand that was lightly fingering him.

As always, Erasmus embraced pleasure like it was food and he had been starving for his whole life. In a way, Torveld supposed he had. His training had been all about his partner's pleasure, and finding his own pleasure, having Torveld offer it to him freely, seemed to overwhelm him. 

Torveld loved that, loved watching Erasmus break apart as he came, loved the tiny whimpering noises he made without even realizing it. 

He loved feeling Erasmus writhe against him, loved knowing he was giving him pleasure. It had never been like that with a slave before, never been like that with anyone, actually. Torveld had never considered himself a limited lover before, but with Erasmus he was learning that nothing was the way he had thought. Everything was changing, and Torveld couldn’t wait to see what was next.


End file.
